River Heroes

River Heroes

All too frequently, individuals and groups involved with natural resource conservation fail to celebrate their hard-won successes. Too often, important victories are allowed to be overshadowed by the next issue or threat. Challenges always lie ahead, but we need to take time each year to celebrate our achievements and the people who make them possible.

River Network created the River Heroes Award in 2001 to recognize and celebrate people whose efforts to protect and restore their local waters have been extraordinary in scope, scale, impact and heart. These River Heroes are nominated by peers, selected by peers and celebrated by peers at the annual River Rally.

Nominations for the 2017 River Heroes Award will be accepted until January 20, 2017.

2016 River Heroes

For more than 20 years, Casi Callaway has made tremendous contributions to protect and preserve the Mobile Bay Watershed, Alabama’s waterways and coastal communities. Casi became the first Executive Director of Mobile Baykeeper (formerly West Bay Watch) in 1998, and under her leadership the organization has evolved into the largest environmental advocacy organization in the… Read More ›

Jan Goldman-Carter manages the National Wildlife Federation campaign to restore Clean Water Act protections and works to strengthen wetland and watershed protections regionally and nationally. Jan has lectured and written extensively on Clean Water Act and wetlands laws and programs since 1987. Jan’s expertise and persistence directly led to the nation’s single most significant river… Read More ›

Derrick Evans has worked since 2001 to help protect and revitalize his coastal Mississippi community and sister communities throughout the region. Derrick is a direct descendant of the former slaves who were the first to settle Turkey Creek, and left his life as a history professor in Boston when his ancestors’ graves back home were… Read More ›

From 1994 through 2002, Andrew Purkey served as the founding executive director of the Oregon Water Trust, the nation’s first nonprofit established to acquire existing water rights for conversion to instream water rights. During this time, he pioneered the concept of voluntary water transactions as a market-based mechanism for restoring “first in time, first in… Read More ›

Roaring Run Watershed Association and Kiskiminetas River Watershed Association

John Linkes has spent more than 16 years working to protect and restore the Kiskiminetas River and Roaring Run Watershed in Pennsylvania. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of both watershed groups, he is also a volunteer water monitor for the Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team, a Steering Committee Member for the Crooked Creek… Read More ›

2015 River Heroes

For more than 15 years, Laura has actively and effectively worked to bring restorative change to the Penobscot River. In her past role as Rivers Coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Laura organized, initiated and guided negotiations for the Penobscot River Restoration Project, which began in 1999. Laura then facilitated the completion and… Read More ›

Jennifer has spent more than 15 years working to protect and restore the Colorado River Delta. Her efforts include her recent central role in the development and implementation of the internationally recognized agreement between the U.S. and Mexico, “Minute 319”, which guides future management of the Colorado River through 2017. The agreement included a provision… Read More ›

For over 30 years, Dwayne has been a leader in river and fisheries conservation in the northeastern U.S. His work began with the removal of the Pleasant River dam and the renovation of the facility as a hatchery and fisheries research center, which in turn became the first non-governmental hatchery in the U.S. to be… Read More ›

Over the past 20 years, BJ has provided invaluable leadership in securing the cleanup of Seattle’s damaged Duwamish River. BJ founded the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group (DRCC/TAG), which subsequently led to the naming of Seattle’s only river as a Superfund site and set in motion 13 years of advocacy work. In 2014, BJ… Read More ›

Bill has dedicated more than 15 years of his life to river conservation. As the leader of Idaho Rivers United, he has crafted alliances with unlikely partners to realize nationally important river conservation success. In 2009, Bill’s strategic work secured Congress’ designation of 328 miles of the Owyhee and Bruneau Rivers to the National Wild… Read More ›

2014 River Heroes

The Little Calumet River runs through the south side of Chicago and its southern suburbs. As a volunteer trail steward and promoter of paddling, Michael trains volunteers, leads annual clean-up events, and expands water trail access. He is helping local high students learn how to kayak, and at a recent cleanup made sure every kid… Read More ›

Jane founded the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council in 1998 to expand river revitalization initiatives to the entire river system, and involve every community. Her vision and hard work have completely altered the quality of life in one of the most economically challenged communities in Rhode Island. Among many accomplishments, she led the charge to convert… Read More ›

Joe is one of the first seven Waterkeepers and a founder of Waterkeeper Alliance. For more than 20 years, Joe has been the eyes, ears and voice of Casco Bay, working to protect the environmental health of Maine’s premier bay. He has built an impressive and sustainable operation with outstanding water quality monitoring programs and… Read More ›

Margarita has become the leading community advocate for water quality protection in the coastal community of Playas de Tijuana and throughout Baja California. Over the past 13 years she has mobilized more than 35,000 volunteers, fostering “awareness through action”; coordinated the removal of nearly 200 cubic tons of trash; trained over 400 youth leaders as… Read More ›

For over 20 years, Laura worked tirelessly as both a volunteer and as Kansas Riverkeeper for Friends of the Kaw to promote public awarenss of the Kaw, an outstanding natural resource and valuable drinking water source in the state of Kansas. Each year she paddle sthe entire 170 mile Kansas River to check on its… Read More ›

2013 River Heroes

Brian studied wildlife biology in college and never looked back. From volunteering with groups working to protect the Everglades, to mapping underwater springs, and expanding the renowned “Trout in the Classroom” program, his leadership has inspired thousands of people to get involved in protecting water resources. At DRBA, Brian’s classroom outreach has engaged over 10,000… Read More ›

Kris has worked to clean up Minnesota’s waters for more than 30 years, and that work ultimately spans watersheds that reach all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes. As MCEA’s senior policy advocate, Kris directs a comprehensive program aimed at improving water quality through full implementation of federal… Read More ›

Laura has led the HRWC as executive director since 1998. Her passion for protecting the river has resulted in measurable results in water quality improvements; new habitat, recreation and economic projects; increased volunteers; and increased community support. She has also helped grow the organization’s Adopt-A-Stream program into the premier volunteer monitoring program in Michigan, and… Read More ›

Paul is very committed to making the Des Plaines River a better place. He works tirelessly as a volunteer on a number of on-going river programs while also working full time at Abbott Laboratories. In 2001, as a board member of the Illinois Paddling Council, he designed a new program for Lake County Forest Preserve… Read More ›

Earl is a life-long environmental activist because it is his calling, changing thousands of people’s lives for the better for more than 50 years. He is a co-founder of the LEAD agency – an environmental justice organization, working on a total of 18 Superfund sites so far in his career. Earl also serves as the… Read More ›

2012 River Heroes

George Wolfe is an avid canoeist/kayaker who led a flotilla of citizen-boaters down the 51 miles of the L.A. River over three days in July 2008 to advocate for Clean Water Act protections for the uch-abused waterway. The sub rosa expedition and his report – extensively documenting navigability, hydrology and other information collected during the… Read More ›

John Wathen is the Hurricane Creekkeeper and founder of Friends of Hurricane Creek in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. An Alabama native who grew up on the Black Warrior River and served in the United States Navy, John is no stranger to water. John’s first endeavor in the river world was the formation of the Stroker’s Paddle Club… Read More ›

Throughout her career advocating for water quality in Iowa, Susan Heathcote has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments in a state where success is hardly a foregone conclusion. Iowa has one of the nation’s most altered landscapes due to intense agricultural production, leading some people to question whether it is even possible for the state… Read More ›

Terry Backer has been the appointed Soundkeeper and Executive Director of the Long Island Soundkeeper Fund, Inc., since 1987. Soundkeeper’s mission it is to protect and enhance the environmental integrity of Long Island Sound. Terry oversees all projects with approval from the Board of Directors. A third-generation fishermen, long active in his family’s shell-fishing business,… Read More ›

Born in Kut, Iraq in 1958, Azzam Alwash spent much of his younger years in Nassariya on the fringes of Iraq’s southern Mesopotamian marshlands, once the 3rd largest wetlands in the world and home to the Ma’dan Marsh Arabs, the descendents of the ancient Sumerian. After completing his BS in Civil Engineering at the California… Read More ›

2011 River Heroes

Captain Dean A. Wilson is the executive director of the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper. Dean cam to south Louisiana in 1984, at the age of 24, from Spain, and for the next 16 years, made his living as a commercial fisherman and hunter. Over time, Dean began to notice that pollution, illegal development, sedimentation and poor water… Read More ›

Beth Stewart is the Cahaba River Society’s (AL) Executive Director. She is lead staff for the Responsible Agenda for River Restoration and Growth and our storm water and ADEM reform programs. Beth has a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley with a focus in urban and environmental planning. Prior to joining… Read More ›

James McMillan was born into a family of farmers who have farmed in Knox County for 6 generations. From the time he was a little boy, he loved the land, to farm, to hunt and to fish. In 2002, James’ creek overflowed with mud from upstream developments. After numerous conversations with authorizes, he was urged… Read More ›

Bob Hunter is a founding board member and staff attorney for WaterWatch of Oregon. WaterWatch is a river conservation organization devoted to restoring and protecting natural flows in Oregon’s rivers and was the first conservation organization formed specifically to address instream flow and water allocation issues in the West. Bob co-drafted Oregon’s landmark Instream Water… Read More ›

Margo Farnsworth is one of only nine Biomimicry Fellows in the world, and is currently engaged in a project using biomimicry as a model to restore coastal communities. She has extensive experience developing watershed organizations. During her 10-year association with the Cumberland River Compact in Tennessee, she led the effort to be one of the… Read More ›

2010 River Heroes

Pamela “Pam” Williams has lived in York Center, Ohio, for most of her life. For over twenty years, she has worked as a mail carrier in a small Ohio village. She does not have a degree in environmental “anything.” She was never an activist. The mere thought of public speaking filled her with dread. That… Read More ›

For thirty-four years, Felix served as a fish and wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Felix is a lifelong advocate for the protection of fish and wildlife habitat, and for responsible use of our precious water resources. Felix was one of the biologists on the team that found the first deformed birds… Read More ›

Cynthia “Cyn” Sarthou has been the Executive Director of the Gulf Restoration Network (GRN) since its inception fifteen years ago. In the time, she took a small environmental organization from one (her) to a robust organization of 12 full-time employees and 3 offices. Through these 15 years, Cyn has kept the GRN true to its… Read More ›

The late Keith Pitzer was a native of Ohio and a full-time farmer who moved with his wife and four sons to West Virginia after a trip on the Cheat River captured his heart. Not long after settling-in to his new home, Keith worked as an advocate for the Friends of Laurel Mountain and successfully… Read More ›

Jeff is a hydrologist specializing in stream restoration, irrigation diversion and habitat enhancement projects with a major emphasis in water resource engineering and hydrology. As a founding member and the first executive director of the North Fork River Improvement Association, he developed a collaborative approach to stream bank stabilization and water conservation with the landowners… Read More ›

2009 River Heroes

Cindy Skrukrud has lived the past 22 years in the glacial hills of Northern Illinois overlooking the mighty Nippersink Creek, a tributary to the Fox River of southern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. Along with her work with Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, Environmental Law & Policy Center and Openlands to protect streams and wetlands throughout… Read More ›

Born in PA and raised on the Upper Delaware (National Scenic) River, Dean has over 18 years of environmental non-profit experience in North Carolina. He began his non-profit career with the NC Wildlife Federation for eight years from 1991-1999. After graduating cum laude from NC State University, with a degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainable… Read More ›

Retired for 20 years, Roger started down the slippery slope of watershed volunteering after borrowing – for 4 years – a friend’s canoe. Now armed with a kayak, Roger’s dedication to rivers is inspiring. Trained by the Charles River Watershed Association, and supplied with a limited amount of bacterial sample analyses in their lab, Roger… Read More ›

The Passaic River Basin is the most densely populated area in the State of New Jersey. It is composed of eight counties and 118 municipalities totally 2.5 million people. While the Passaic is only 81 miles long, its eight major tributaries contribute over 1000 river miles to the watershed. In 1969, the Passaic River was… Read More ›

Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team & the Western Hardrock Watershed Team

An employee of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Comp works through the ACCWT and the WHWT to support the efforts of small community/watershed groups in mining communities of Appalachia and the Rocky Mountains. The ACCWT and the WHWT are coalitions of grassroots-level groups created to repair the environmental degradation left by historic… Read More ›

2008 River Heroes

John Tippett, Executive Director, Friends of the Rappahannock (VA). John Tippett has served as Executive Director of Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) since he came to the organization in 1995. His professional interests include the design and implementation of Low-Impact Development practices, watershed assessment and planning, and integrating the science of watershed management into the… Read More ›

Robert Ruffner, Executive Director, Kenai Watershed Forum (AK). A native of Texas, Robert Ruffner learned to love rivers while canoeing the local waterways with his family and friends. He moved on to kayaks and whitewater, spent time in Minnesota getting degrees in geology and civil engineering, and further honing his whitewater skills, before moving to… Read More ›

Rob Hutsel, Executive Director, The San Diego River Park Foundation (CA). In 2000, Rob Hutsel was a “weekend warrior,” dedicating his spare time to helping restore local native wildlands. Then, a 34-million gallon sewage spill occurred. For nearly a week, raw sewage ran into the San Diego River without detection. Rob was one of three… Read More ›

Bernie Dahl Immediate Past President, Banks of the Wabash, Inc., Professor, Purdue University (IN). Since 1972, Bernie Dahl has been teaching at Purdue University. For the past six years, he has been Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Chair of the Landscape Architecture Program. Over the past twenty years, Bernie has melded his teaching with… Read More ›

Dr. David Baker, Director Emeritus, National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg College (OH). For nearly forty years, Dr. David Baker has devoted his life’s work to achieving a better understanding of water quality issues in the Lake Erie Basin, and, above all, to improving the health of these waters. It all began with… Read More ›

2007 River Heroes

Alan Rollo (MT). Alan has been a key figure in Montana and national river conservation for over twenty-five years, actively engaged in a plethora of water quality programs. His impressive accomplishments are the result of quiet, relentless, difficult work that has and is resulting in positive, long-term changes in the Sun and Teton watersheds, and… Read More ›

Judith Petersen (KY). A former aerospace engineer, Judy has been one of the river conservation movement’s most devoted advocates. A colleague once described Judy as “vigilant as a mother bear” watching over her charges, the rivers of Kentucky. Director of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance since 1997, Judy is a leader on water quality policy issues… Read More ›

Rebecca Miles (ID). In 2005, Rebecca was the first woman, and at 32 the youngest person ever elected chair of the Nez Perce Tribe. With an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and a Masters in organizational leadership, Rebecca returned to the Nez Perce reservation, working as a communications specialist for the Tribe, cleanup issues with… Read More ›

Kerry Mackin (MA), Kerry is the mouse who roared, and her work is a stunning example of what one person can accomplish. For more than two decades, Kerry has championed the cause of river protection and restoration, not only for the Ipswich, but for all rivers across Massachusetts. In her twelve years leading IRWA, Kerry’s… Read More ›

Joe Cook (GA), An award-winning nature photographer and author, Joe’s slide presentations about the Etowah River, Chattahoochee River and Appalachian Trail have been enjoyed by more than 10,000 children and adults. Over the past fifteen years, Joe has logged more than 3,500 wilderness miles on foot and canoe. In 1999, Joe became a board member… Read More ›

2006 River Heroes

Beth Maynor Young (AL), Conservation Photographer. Beth has linked a generation of southerners to the beauty and biodiversity of their rivers and coastal waters through the power and emotion of her exquisite photographs, and has directly motivated significant land and river protection. Beth has worked with countless conservation organizations to promote their work, to enhance… Read More ›

Clinton (Bill) Townsend (ME), President, Maine Rivers. For more than a half-century, Bill has worked passionately to protect and revitalize the more than 31,000 miles of rivers and streams in the State of Maine. The results have rippled across the nation. Since Bill arrived in Maine as a dairy farmer in 1957, he has earned… Read More ›

Barry Sulkin (TN), Environmental Scientist, TN PEER. Barry spent many years as an employee for the TN Department of Environment and Conservation, and was promoted to Chief of Enforcement in the Water Quality Control Division for exemplary work. After a change in administration and his refusal to allow the burying of creeks for profit, he… Read More ›

Lawrence Master (NY), Chief Zoologist, Nature Serve. It would be fair to say that each and every river protection effort in this country has been touched by the work and passion of Lawrence Master. Larry’s career began with his doctoral and post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan, in which he helped establish the Michigan… Read More ›

Gershon Cohen, PhD (AK), Project Director, Campaign to Safeguard America’s Waters (Project of Earth Island Institute). Gershon has actively championed river and marine ecosystem protection for the last 16 years in Alaska and throughout the U.S.A., focusing on industrial wastewater pollution. Armed with a Masters Degree in immunology/molecular genetics, Gershon moved to Alaska in 1983…. Read More ›

2005 River Heroes

Tim Watts (MA), Massachusetts River Activist. Tim is an overnight janitor at a local college— a job that allows him to be on a river or in meetings during the day when most volunteers are at their day job. He grew up in and around rivers; fishing, exploring, learning—the same activities he now shares with… Read More ›

Deb Perryman (IL), Elgin High School Teacher. As a child, Deb spent hours gliding across Crooked Lake in a canoe or exploring the cedar swamp across the road. Her dream was to become a wildlife biologist. Fortunately for the children of School District U46, Deb became a high school science teacher. Noticing a 35-acre tract… Read More ›

David Fowler (WI), Senior Project Manager, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. With a Master of Science in Stream Ecology, Dave has worked as a Fisheries Biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and later as an Aquatic Biologist for the MMSD where he has been for the past 24 years. He has been active in… Read More ›

Janet Cohen (CA), Executive Director, South Yuba River Citizen’s League. After 14 years with SYRCL, Janet Cohen retired in 2005. Her passionate work for the Yuba River started as a volunteer when, during a 1978 visit to Northern California from her home in London, she was captivated by the Yuba’s deep blue pools and white… Read More ›

Alice Champagne (GA), Technical Programs Director, Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Alice has worked tirelessly, for over a decade, on the Chattahoochee River’s most serious problem— polluted sediment runoff from construction sites in the sprawling metro Atlanta region. Never afraid to speak up at public meetings, to lead and teach citizen and governmental trainings/workshops, or to challenge… Read More ›

2004 River Heroes

Captain Bill Sheehan (NJ), founder and executive director of the Hackensack Riverkeeper, is widely credited with the resurrection of New Jersey’s Hackensack River and the Meadowlands Estuary. Bill was born and raised in New Jersey and has lived his entire life next to the Hackensack River. He received his Coast Guard “Captain” accreditation in order… Read More ›

Dr Bill McLarney (NC), project coordinator and aquatic biologist for the Little Tennessee Watershed Association, has been working over 40 years to evaluate, manage and protect aquatic ecosystems in the United States and internationally. In 1994 he received the North Carolina Governor’s Award for Outstanding Water Conservationist of the Year.

John Klunk (PA), Founder, Cordorus Monitoring Network, hadn’t planned on becoming an advocate for the environment. But when the stream behind his house turned a dark, rusty-brown color, and began to emit a horrible smell, John wanted to find out the cause. It took almost twenty years of letter writing and organizing public meetings, but… Read More ›

Paul Erhart (AK), is a Koyukon, Athabascan Native American of the Tanana Tribe in Alaska. He lives at the confluence of the Tanana and sacred Yukon Rivers where year round he takes the daily vitals of the river as the Assessment and Monitoring Coordinator of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. If there is an… Read More ›

2003 River Heroes

Michele Tremblay (NH), chair of the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee, is a whiz at recruiting volunteers to do the critical work of monitoring the health of waterways. She makes sure collected data is communicated to watershed decision makers through intensive public education and outreach efforts. She also works directly with local schools, helping… Read More ›

Don Sampson, (OR) former executive director of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, was recently named executive director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. He has been an inspiring force behind collaborative efforts to bring back salmon in the Columbia River basin.

Brad McLane (AL), former executive director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, never shrinks from powerful, entrenched interests or fails to stand up for the rights of the underrepresented or disenfranchised citizens of his state as he takes on water quality and quantity issues.

Albert Ettinger (IL), senior attorney with the Environmental Law & Policy Center in Chicago, is recognized for his leadership on clean water and natural resource issues. Not one to take on high profile litigation cases, Albert instead dedicates his talents and abilities to tirelessly work to improve standards for water quality protection in Illinois and… Read More ›

Todd Ambs was River Network’s fifth President (2010 – 2013) and has worked in the environmental policy field for more than 30 years. His extensive experience in both state government and nonprofit organizations includes serving as Executive Director of two statewide river organizations, Policy Director for the Ohio Attorney General and Senior Policy Analyst for… Read More ›

2002 River Heroes

Marc Taylor (MA), chair and founding director of the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, has given countless hours to bringing together stakeholders to understand and improve the health of the River and Aquifer. His inspiration and leadership ability resulted in the creation of the first State of the Watershed Report; developing a state-of-the-art webpage; holding a… Read More ›

Barb Horn (CO), has worked for over 15 years as a Habitat Biologist with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. In the mid 1980s, Barb started the Colorado River Watch program – a school-based volunteer monitoring program that has grown to include over 100 schools throughout the state. Additionally, Barb worked with other coordinators to initiate… Read More ›

David Hess (PA), former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is responsible for the creation of Growing Greener. The program promises $650 million over five years for open space and farmland preservation, watershed restoration, cleaning up from abandoned mines and mine lands, plugging abandoned oil and gas wells, and upgrading sewer and water… Read More ›

Zach Frankel (UT), founding director of Utah Rivers Council, ran the organization from the back of his truck until he could raise enough funds for an office. In the early 2000s, Zach helped convened a diverse coalition responsible for the defeat of proposed dams on the Bear River. Additionally, Utah now has a law –… Read More ›